Construction continues in China on the world’s highest power network

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Altitudes above 5,000 meters are considered highly unsuitable for humans and could have severe effects on health. At an altitude of 5,373 meters, Pumaqangtang in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region is the world's highest town.

Oxygen levels are 40 percent less than that at sea level, and the annual average temperature of the town drops to minus 7 degrees Celsius. Average life expectancy stands at only 49.5 years.

The construction of a power transmission project, which began on April 6, is tackling some of the most challenging parts of the town.

The project aims to bring electricity to some of the most remote mountainous areas in Tibet. It is scheduled to be completed in September.

Once work is concluded, the network would have crossed five mountains over 4,500 meters above sea level. With the highest tower standing at an altitude of 5,295 meters and the lowest at 2,125 meters, the power grid will be world's highest.

More than 40,000 workers have joined hands to complete the project, facing extreme working conditions and putting their health and life at risk.

At the highest site of construction on Dongdashan Mountain, oxygen levels are reduced to less than 60 percent than that in the eastern plain regions.

Kelsang Chola, Secretary of the township's committee of the Communist Party of China, said some villages in Pumaqangtang are still powered by solar energy, which is not always reliable. Upon completion of the project, residents in Pumaqangtang will have access to stable electricity transmitted via Tibet's main power grid.